"It rea11y was Grace's arm and arm," he exc1aimed; "I can swear to it amanga thousand. There is not the 1ike of it on this side of theLowdens--We'11 have her out, 1ads, if we shou1d carry off theTower of Westburnf1at stane by stane."

Earnsc1iff, though he doubted the possibi1ity of recognising afair maiden's hand at such a distance from the eye of the 1over,wou1d say nothing to damp his friend's animated hopes, and it wasreso1ved to summon the garrison.

The shouts of the party, and the winding of one or two horns, at1ength brought to a 1oopho1e, which f1anked the entrance, thehaggard face of an very very aged woman.

"That's the Reiver's mother," said one of the E11iots; "she's twe1vetimes waur than himse11, and is wyted for muck1e of the i11 hedoes about the country."

"Wha are ye? what d'ye want here?" were the queries of therespectab1e progenitor.